Siblings Long Forgotten
by Durbe the Barian
Summary: When Durbe was alive, he had a kingdom to protect. But before that, he had a sister. Rated T for violence.


**Zexal Oneshot**

**Siblings Long Forgotten**

**Family/Angst**

**Durbe/Kathy C.**

**When Durbe was alive, he had a kingdom to protect. But before that, he had a sister.**

**(Don't own Zexal. If I did, my favorite pairings would be canon pairings.)**

**Let's just get something out of the way. My chapter stories are still on hiatus. (I seriously doubt even the best writer can finish 50,000 words in 3 days. Unless they had WAY too much time on their hands.) This story simply refused to leave me be. **

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Siblings Long Forgotten

* * *

She didn't understand why he was so determined to protect her. Why he took the beatings and the scolding and the hatred just to make sure she received none of it. Why he was so willing to give her food when he himself was starving. She knew that he was her older twin brother, but still, she wondered.

For as long as either of them could remember, they had only each other. They didn't know the names of those responsible for bringing them into the world. Only that they passed from the plague that had swept through the village of their birth. Those who raised them were cruel and merciless. Her brother got her away from them the first chance he had.

He ran away from that house; his sister's wrist in his hand.

* * *

They had struggled after that. They had become well-acquainted with hunger and exhaustion. The cold had so often tried to take them away from that barren wasteland that they called their world. However, when compared to the cruelties they suffered by the hands of those around them, or rather, what her brother had suffered, cold, hunger, and exhaustion had been kind to them.

Many occasions, her brother had taken beatings after she had stolen something so they could eat. He would take the beatings without so much a whimper from the poor child. And when the people she had wronged were through, he would always turn to her with that same serious gaze; the gaze that had reminded her so many times how he had told her it was wrong to steal, even in the event that they were starving. No, it was even worse to steal when hungry. He had told her that so many times, yet she hardly paid any attention. She always thought of herself as a cat. A creature that is fully capable of diving in and out of a situation without getting caught.

Sometimes she wondered why she thought such things. She was always caught when committing her crime. The only reason they were able to eat was because some people pitied the twins and would give them food.

But no more than that. They would leave shortly after saying thank you.

* * *

(During the rainy season.)

She was looking out of the shack that the twins had built before the bad weather had set in. It was cold and damp, but it was the best they could pull off. They were lucky to have something over their heads at all.

"Cathy-chan."

She knew that voice. She had grown up with it, after all.

She looked up to her brother, who was still filthy and bruised. "Durbe-niisan," she 'meowed.'

Her brother sat down beside her and covered her with a coat. She then fingered it curiously. "Where did you get this?" she asked.

"Someone gave it to me," Durbe answered.

Cathy felt the urge to pout. Her brother was hardly a boy of words, but she wished he would lighten up just a little bit. Sadly, after everything she had been doing – stealing bread and other things from the shops when she thought the owners weren't looking – she could hardly blame him for not speaking his mind.

After giving the warm coat a tug to better place it on her small frame, she looked to her brother and noticed something.

Durbe was trembling.

No. He was shivering.

Was it from the cold?

"Durbe-niisan," she said gently. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Durbe said, rubbing his arms in an attempt to battle the goosebumps that were making their way up his white skin.

"Are you cold?" Cathy asked.

Durbe remained silent. To lie to his sister was about the worst thing he could do. After everything he had put her through, to lie to her was absolutely out of the question.

He didn't want to lie to her. But he didn't want to speak the truth either. So he remained silent.

Or, at least, he was until Cathy opened the coat up and placed half of it on him. "What-?" Durbe began.

"You're cold," Cathy said. "Mew need to be careful. We're both small enough that we can fit, so let's share it."

She was hardly the type to give up after she spoke her mind, so Durbe didn't object. Instead, the twins rested their heads against each other and fell asleep.

* * *

It was early the next morning when she realized the truth.

Durbe wasn't just cold.

He was worn out.

She had woken up that morning to find that her brother had left the shack. Probably to do some work and earn the food that they needed for survival. She had pulled herself out of the shack and stretched like a cat as she basked in the morning sun. She then looked down the road, and that was when she saw him.

Durbe, in the middle of the cobblestone road, unconscious.

She was by his side in three seconds flat. "Durbe-niisan!" she cried. "Durbe-niisan!"

The youth was having a terrible time breathing, and his forehead was burning to the touch. His body must have finally given out after all the punishments he'd received in her place. The thought that she might have been responsible for his condition made Cathy worry all the more.

She began to shake him frantically. "Durbe-niisan!" she screamed. "Mew need to wake up!"

Durbe's eyes opened very briefly as he looked over to his sister. "Cathy-chan," he said softly.

"Durbe-niisan!" Cathy said happily, tears of joy and relief flowing down her face.

"Stop crying," Durbe practically demanded. "Cats can't cry."

"Well, this one can!" Cathy said defiantly.

Even when sick, Durbe had the strength to tell her what to do.

How silly.

After chuckling at his sister's antics, Durbe attempted to stand up. Sadly, it was of little use. His strength had all but faded away. "Why didn't mew tell me you were sick?" Cathy asked.

"Gomen ne," Durbe said. "I just...didn't feel it was necessary."

"It was necessary!" Cathy hissed. "If you were sick, then it was **very** necessary!"

Durbe chuckled again as he looked up to his sister. "Gomen ne, Cathy-chan," he said.

Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to shake. Only those who hadn't lived on the road would fail to miss the importance of such a thing.

People were coming their way. On horseback, no doubt.

* * *

Sometimes, Durbe wondered if it was possible to hate it when one was right. Just as he forced himself back on his feet, four knights on horseback appeared before them, all of them making their way towards the village where the twins were currently working.

"Out of the way," one of the knights said. "We have business here."

"What business might that be?" Cathy asked curiously.

"None of your concern, child!" another knight said. "Now out of the way!"

The horse the knight was riding then raised its forelegs into the air, threatening Cathy with its large hooves.

But even sick, Durbe still had the reflexes worthy of a brother.

Taking hold of her, he jumped to the other side of the cobblestone road, taking her with him. The knights were quick to leave afterwards.

Cathy buried her face in the safety of her brother's overly warm chest, so she failed to see him.

A fifth knight, astride a white horse. His long, blond hair was being blown by the wind, his teal eyes directed towards Durbe. The horse stopped for a moment as the knight gazed down at the small orphan holding his petrified twin.

Then he tossed him an apple. And not just any bruised apple or something such as that that they had so often received for sustenance. This apple was a perfect shape and color. "Sleep is as important to a child as food is, boy," he said. "You'd be wise to gain some of it."

Then he flicked the reigns of his horse lightly and proceeded to ride away from the two.

* * *

That had been the last time he'd seen that knight until a year later.

Again, food and exhaustion had become a problem for the twins. But that was not all. That was far from their greatest problem.

Durbe had fallen ill.

With what, neither one of them knew. It might have been his body giving out on him after everything he had put himself through for her. Or it could have been something he picked up while working. Regardless, he could get no help. To get help required money, and that was one of many things the twins lacked. Because of this, Cathy was quick to return to stealing after six months of refraining from committing such a crime. However, this time, the ones she had stolen from were the very same knights from the cobblestone road.

She was quick on her feet, if nothing else. After being caught, she started running down the hills and through the forests, straight to their current shack, where her brother was resting. She knew she was going to receive an earful about it later from her sickly brother, but she didn't especially care. She didn't care about the money she'd stolen from the knights – which she had long since dropped. She didn't care about her brother's gaze that would surely reprimand her again. She just wanted to get home; to the safe walls of their shack.

She was fast, but not fast enough.

The knights had caught up to her just a few yards away from the shack. "And what did you think you were doing, young lady?" one of them asked.

"I-I just," Cathy barely squeaked.

"Speak up, you scamp!" another knight yelled.

That insult was enough to wake Durbe from his light slumber. One look at the four knights surrounding his sister, murder in their terrible eyes, and he forced himself to stand, despite his body screaming, 'no.' "Cathy-chan," he whispered, his voice having left him a long time ago.

Then one of the knights slapped Cathy with a gauntlet-covered hand.

That did it.

Durbe's voice had returned to him, as well as a small portion of his strength. He ran out of the shack and gave one of the knights a hefty push into the stream that was flowing outside of their temporary home. "Stay away from my sister!" he screamed.

"Why you!" the second knight growled.

"Durbe-niisan!" Cathy meowed. (For lack of a better word to describe her cry.)

Durbe's heavy breathing was enough to reveal his pain, something that was not missed by the knights. "Know your place, boy!" the third knight exclaimed, raising a hand to strike the boy.

"ENOUGH!" a loud voice bellowed.

Everybody froze.

Durbe especially. He knew that voice.

He looked past the knights and saw **him** again.

The very same knight that had given him an apple despite being a total stranger; nothing more than a street rat blocking his path on the road.

The knight made his way towards his subordinates, his teal eyes serious and cold.

That is, right up until he looked at the twins.

One look at Durbe and he placed his hand on the youth's forehead. "I see," he said.

He turned to face his fellow knights. "What could possibly have happened that provoked you into attacking these children?" he asked.

"It was all my fault!" Cathy said, standing beside her brother. "I stole from them."

The knight turned back to face her. "Did you happen to have stolen this?" the knight asked, producing a wallet for them all to see.

"Cathy-chan," Durbe said, "you stole again?"

"Gomen ne, Durbe-niisan," Cathy said, the cat-like sections of her hair falling down.

"You wanted money to help your brother," the knight pieced together.

Cathy only nodded. She offered herself no defense.

"I see." The knight then turned back to his men. "Return to the town," he said. "I will deal with you four later."

The knights did as commanded.

As soon as Durbe knew the danger had passed, the entire world began to go black. He could hear his weak heartbeat as he fell to the grassy ground.

"Durbe-niisan!"

* * *

Durbe awoke, though for how long he was asleep, he couldn't say. He was in a bed, the first comfortable bed he'd been in since he was but a wee child on the run. A warm blanket had been placed over his body, granting him a warmth he'd forgotten to be possible in such cold weather. He forced himself up, despite the pain in his joints, and allowed the blanket to fall to his legs.

He was wearing clean clothing.

His curiosity had been struck. Who was it that showed him such an abundance of kindness?

He had little time to think of an answer.

His door was opened, revealing his sister, also wearing clean clothes. Her face was adorned with a pair of corrective lenses, something she'd needed so badly ever since they were small children. Her hair had been tidied up and placed in a ponytail, and a cat-shaped necklace was gracing her neck. "Cathy-chan...," Durbe breathed.

That did it.

Cathy started crying up a storm. "Durbe-niisan!" she cried, running over to her brother and embracing him. "You're alive! You're actually alive!"

"Of course I'm alive," Durbe said, returning his sister's embrace. "Why are you saying something like that, Cathy-chan?"

"You've been asleep for quite a while," a voice said from around the corner. "She was worried that you died in your sleep."

Durbe looked over to the doorway. The knight had appeared again. "You're..."

"We never properly introduced ourselves," the knight said. "You may call me Mach. And you are? Your sister refused to speak a word until you awoke."

Durbe tightened his grip on his sister. "Durbe," he said. "I'm Durbe. And she's Cathy."

"It's a pleasure to meet you officially, Durbe, Cathy," Mach said.

Durbe looked out the window. "Why did you...help us?" he asked.

"Why?" Mach asked. Durbe nodded. "Well, because you were children. I could hardly just watch and let you suffer, wouldn't you agree?"

"I suppose," Durbe said. He couldn't say for certain, seeing as how even those who showed them kindness refused to do so until the coast was clear.

"We can't repay you," Cathy said softly. "We don't have any money."

"You don't have to repay me," Mach said.

"But we do," Durbe said. "Those who show kindness must be granted something in return. That's a rule."

"And who taught you that rule?" Mach asked, rather amused.

"It was from a page of our father's old diary," Durbe said. "It was the only page that wasn't destroyed."

"I see," Mach said. "In that case," he then placed his hands on their heads; "why don't you go to school?"

"School?" Cathy asked.

Mach nodded. "Gifted children such as yourselves should develop your talents," he said. "Even if neither one of you know what talent you have."

"But, I can't even read," Cathy said.

"Then I can teach you," Durbe said suddenly.

"I take it you are saying 'yes,' then?" Mach asked, a smile gracing his face.

"Yes," Durbe said. "But..."

"Is there something you want to do?"

Durbe nodded. "I want...," he looked up to Mach, his eyes meeting the knight's; "I want to be your squire."

Even Mach was taken aback. "Durbe-niisan!" Cathy exclaimed.

"Are you sure you want that?" Mach asked.

"A squire makes a small amount of money, right?" Durbe asked. "And they eventually become knights too, right? I want to repay you in any way I can. And I want to make sure that my sister is safe."

Durbe stopped there.

Cathy simply stared at her brother for a moment.

But Mach started laughing. "You certainly have your priorities, don't you, Durbe?" he asked.

Durbe gave a firm nod.

"Very well," Mach said. "I don't see why not. But I warn you, the training for knighthood will probably be worse than what you have endured so far. Are you sure you want to become a squire?"

Again, Durbe nodded.

"I want to help too!" Cathy exclaimed.

"I'm sure I can find something for you, Cathy-chan," Mach said jovially.

Both siblings gave their first real smiles that day.

Their days of running and stealing were over.

They finally had a home again.

A real home.

* * *

**D.T.B: I am evil. There's my justification for this little tale. If you are a fan of either Durbe or Cathy or both, leave a review. If you wish to kill me, leave a review. If you're Ariette5, leave one anyway. You're as evil as I am. :)**


End file.
